It’s been a year of ups and downs for UConn men’s basketball team in its quest for a third consecutive NCAA title under Dan Hurley.
After a difficult start to the season, the Huskies currently sit 19th in the standings. latest AP Top 25 poll released Monday, with an overall record of 14-5 (6-2 in Big East play).
A skid in November saw UConn go 0-3 at the Maui Invitational, with losses to Memphis, Colorado and Dayton. After leaving Hawaii, the Huskies got back on track, winning nine in a row. As of January, they are 4-2 in Big East play.
So, with the rollercoaster start to the season, where do the Huskies stand in the NCAA tournament conversation?
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UConn men’s basketball bracketology analysis
UConn is still expected to make the big dance safely in less than two months, but its seed line could change drastically depending on how its remaining schedule plays out.
ESPN’s Joe Lunardi currently has UConn entering the tournament as the No. 6 seed in Bracketology’s latest projections, moving up from the 5 seed in last week’s projection. But don’t worry, Husky fans, this is a familiar place for the team, winning at several ranking positions.
In 2014, Connecticut won the national championship as the seventh seed over No. 8 Kentucky. In Hurley’s first championship run with the program two years ago, the Huskies were a 4 seed before repeating against Purdue as a 1 seed.
According to the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET), a system used since the 2018-19 season to rank programs and help select teams for the NCAA Tournament, UConn ranks 34th in the nation, in drop of two places compared to its previous ranking. ranking.
Analyzing past UConn men’s basketball schedule
The Huskies already have a number of quality wins under their belt this season. According to the NET quadrant system, which organizes the quality of wins and losses into four quadrants (1 being best and four being worst), UConn is 3-2 in Quad 1 and 7- 5. in the first two quadrants (4-3 in Quad 2).
UConn posted Quad 1 wins over then-8th-ranked Gonzaga and No. 15th-ranked Baylor and Texas, with losses to Memphis and Villanova. Gonzaga and Baylor have both dropped out of the AP Top 25 since, leaving UConn winless over currently ranked opponents and with just one win over a current top 20 team in the NET rankings (No. 19 Gonzaga).
In Quad 2, Connecticut beat Xavier, DePaul, Georgetown and Butler. The Huskies also lost to Dayton and, most recently, to Creighton at home on Saturday.
Connecticut did not suffer any additional losses outside of the first two quadrants until the neutral court loss to Colorado fell to a loss in Quad 3. UConn is now 7-1 in Quadrants 3 and 4, but any additional losses in any of those quadrants could deal a major blow to the Huskies’ lineage.
Analyzing the upcoming UConn men’s basketball schedule
Although Connecticut does not currently have the resumes of its last two championship teams, there is an opportunity to significantly build on its quality wins in the coming weeks.
Connecticut has two games remaining against No. 10 Marquette and No. 20 St. John’s, both of which trail UConn in the Big East standings by one game. These four games will be Quad 1 opportunities. A win against each team could be enough to give Connecticut viable credit heading into March, and a sweep of one or both teams would be a welcome bonus.
The Huskies’ other remaining Big East games will be at home against DePaul, Seton Hall, Villanova and Georgetown, and away against Xavier, Creighton, Providence and at Seton Hall.
Each of these games listed above projects to be Quad 2 and 3 opportunities, with the lone exception being a home game against Seton Hall (Quad 4).
If Connecticut goes 1-1 or better against Marquette and St. John’s and handles its business against its remaining opponents, the Huskies should easily receive a 7 seed or higher. If they give up one or more Quad 2, 3 or 4 opportunities, this starting line could be abandoned.
Additionally, Connecticut will have additional opportunities if it advances in the Big East tournament. A share of the Big East regular season title and/or an appearance in the conference tournament championship game could also stand in the way of his starting line-up.
UConn men’s basketball team breakdown
The defending champion Huskies lost four of their five starters to the NBA during the offseason: Stephon Castle (San Antonio Spurs), Donovan Clingan (Portland Trail Blazers), Tristen Newton (Indiana Pacers) and Cam Spencer (Memphis Grizzlies). Junior Alex Karaban was the only mainstay, and the forward is averaging career highs of 15.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3 assists per game this season.
Besides Karaban, sophomore guard Solo Ball, senior center Samson Johnson and fifth-year guard Hassan Diarra were constants in Hurley’s starting five throughout the first half of the season.
Five-star freshman forward Liam McNeeley was the other constant, until he suffered a significant ankle sprain in the second half of an 81-68 road win over DePaul on Sunday. ‘Year. Hurley said earlier this month that the freshman would be out “weeks, not days.” There is no official timetable for his return.
McNeeley began his career averaging 13 points and 6 rebounds in Connecticut’s first 11 games. He was the No. 10 recruit in the country, according to 247sports.com.
This article was originally published in The Bulletin: Where does UConn stand in the latest NCAA tournament projections?
